Imam Taqi (as): Answering Fiqh questions is not easy

Mamun al-Rashid son of Harun al-Rashid called the young 9th Imam, Imam
Taqi (as) to Baghdad from Medina and offered his daughter. This
infuriated his family (Abbasid). To prove to them the excellence of
Imam Taqi (as) even at a young age of Twelve year, he arranged a
meeting between Imam Taqi (as) and the most learned of men at that
time - Yahya ibn Aaktham, the Chief Justice of the Abbasid Empire.
It was a grand occasion with some 900 other scholars present. The
court was full of people from near and far everyone wanted to see what
the outcome would be.
Yahya asked the first question which was: What would be the kaffara of
a person in Ihram who hunted and killed his prey?
Imam Taqi (as) answered that he would have to be given a lot more
detail before he could even begin to answer the question.
For example:
Was the person in Ihram Baligh or not?
Was the person a free man or a slave?
Did he know the laws of Sharia on hunting or not?
Was his Ihram for Hajj or Umra?
Did he hunt intentionally or not?
Was this the first time or one of many?
Did the person in Ihram hunt inside the Haram of the Holy Kaaba or outside.
Did he hunt in the day or at night?
Was the prey big or small?
Was the prey a bird or an animal?
Was the person repentant or not?
Yahya was shocked and did not know what to say.
Mamun al-Rashid asked Imam Taqi (as) to answer, Yahya's question for
all of the above conditions, which Imam Taqi (as) did.
It was then Imam Taqi (as) to ask Yahya a question, which he did and
Yahya could not answer; so Imam Taqi (as) again gave the answer.
Mamun al-Rashid's joy knew no bounds. What he had asserted came true.
Addressing the audience he said, "Did I not tell you that the people
of the Ahlul Baytof the Prophet have been gifted by Allah (SWT) with
limitless knowledge? None can cope with even the children of this
elevated House."
Mamun al-Rashid took the opportunity to offer his daughter Ummul Fazl
to Imam Taqi (as). Imam Taqi (as) read his own Nikah(the khutba of
which is used today) with the Mehr of 500 dirhams. Imam Taqi (as)
wrote a letter to Mamun al-Rashid that he would also give Ummul Fazl
Mehr from the wealth of The World to Come (Aakhira). This was in the
form of 10 duas which were for fulfilling any hajaat (desires). Thus
his title is Al-Jawad (the generous one).
Moral:To answer a fiqh question is not as easy as you may think; this
is why Ulema spend years of their lives learning and researching. And
why we have to do Taqlid of a Marja (Just like we take the advice of a
doctor, when we are ill, we should take the advice of a Marja in
religious affairs).